Upper East Side · New York, New York
Ballet Academy East
Upper East Side ballet school combining classical Vaganova and Cecchetti technique with a pre-professional division and broad children's programs.
- Ballet
- Children's Dance
How Ballet Academy East comes across
Ballet Academy East comes across as an establishment institution that wears its pedigree lightly. The school traces back to founder-director Julia Dubno, who opened it "in a brownstone on East 79th Street with one small studio in 1979" and still "oversee[s] the day-to-day operations"; the site describes a school that has since grown to "six spacious studios and a world-renowned faculty." Its self-description leans on a particular balance — "while expectations are high, so is our level of caring" — which reads as a deliberate attempt to position serious Upper East Side training as nurturing rather than punishing. The deep faculty and accompanist roster, several with New York City Ballet, ABT and Juilliard credentials, signals a conservatory seriousness. The overall impression is of a long-running, professionally-oriented ballet school where a parent should expect rigor and structure, softened by a stated commitment to "the personal development of each student."
An editor's impression, drawn from the school's own website and public materials, 13 June 2026. Not a review — if it misses the mark, the school or a parent can tell us via the form below.
About the school
Ballet Academy East operates from a Third Avenue facility on the Upper East Side, offering structured classical ballet training that blends Vaganova and Cecchetti approaches. The academy runs a pre-professional division alongside its broader children's and youth programs, and is regularly recognised among NYC's leading children's ballet schools.
At a glance
- Address
- 1651 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10128
- Suburb
- Upper East Side
- City
- New York
- State
- New York
- Disciplines
- Classical Ballet, Pointe, Variations, Modern, Jazz
- Approach
- Both
What stands out
- i.Vaganova and Cecchetti technical foundation
- ii.Pre-professional division
- iii.Upper East Side establishment
Also in Upper East Side
American Youth Dance Theater (AYDT)
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Upper East Side children's dance school affiliated with the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum, founded 1996, offering ballet, tap, hip hop, Broadway, and contemporary for ages 18 months to 18.
Dance with Miss Rachel — Upper East Side
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The Ballet Club
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Upper East Side children's ballet school founded 2007 by professional dancer Anne Easterling Freifelder, with three divisions from age 18 months through pre-professional teens.